Dual fireplace heater



K. H. HERMANSON DUAL FIREPLACE HEATER Filed Sept. 18, 1946 Oct. 11 1949.

Patented Oct. 11,1949

UNITED STATES PJATENT" OFFICE DUAL FIREPLACE HEATER Kenneth H. Hermanson, Minneapolis, Minn,

Application September 18, 1946, Serial No. 697,786

4 Claims. (01. 126121) This invention relates to dual fireplace heaters.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a novel and improved dual fireplace heater including a section wherein solid fuels, such as wood or coal, can be burned and also including a section wherein a heating plant, such as a heating plant burning gas or oil, may be placed, it being possible to employ the device for burning either solid fuel or a conducted fuel, such as gas or oil, or for burning both solid fuel and a conducted type of fuel simultaneously.

Another object is to provide a fireplace type of central heating plant for small house construction which will give all the benefits of an ordinary fireplace and which at the same time will provide all the benefits of a central heating plant.

Another object is to provide a small heating plant which can be operated either by gas or by oil and which can be located above a fireplace to be used either simultaneously with solid fuel, such as wood or coal, that may be burned in the fireplace or which can be utilized alone to supply heat to the house wherein it is located.

The objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the various views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view taken in vertical section through a house wherein one of my dual fireplace heaters is installed, the fireplace heater being shown for the most part in front elevation but certain parts being broken away and shown in section to illustrate more clearly the construction thereof;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of the gas burning section illustrated in Figs, 1 to 3 and detached from the remainder of the heater, certain parts being broken away and shown in section; and

Fig. 5 is a more or less diagrammatic view showing a typical household installation of the fireplace heater employing both cold air return and warm air delivery ducts.

Portions of an ordinary small house are shown including first fioor 5 and second floor I, walls or partitions of the house being designated by the numeral 8. Built into the house structure are a fireplace front wall ll having inclined section Ila above a mantelpiece l2, and a removable sheet metal front plate llb secured as by bolts lie to lugs l3 mounted in the side walls 9 adjacent their forward edges. Above the walls 9, l0, and Il there is formed a chimney I4 of the usual type employed in connection with wood and coal burning fireplaces. s

Extending across the back wall It between the side walls 9 and projecting upwardly to a point about level with the lower edge of the front plate lib is a metal sheet 15, which joins an inclined sheet It, which inclines somewhat upwardly and fireplace side walls 9, fireplace back wall Ill, and

forwardly from the sheet 15. Spaced forwardly from the sheet I5 is another sheet H, and joining the upper edge of the sheet I! is an upwardly and forwardly inclined sheet l8 spaced from the sheet 16. The upwardly inclined sheet l8 connects with or joins a forwardly extending and downwardly inclined sheet l9, and this sheet in turn connects with or joins a rather sharply downwardly inclined sheet 20 which has a forward edge lying adjacent the lower edge of the front plate I lb. Of course the first floor 6 is lined with brick or other heat-impervious material 2| within the vertical confines of the fireplace casing formed by the rear wall Hi, the side walls 9, and the front wall I I and preferably for some distance forwardly thereof. The space defined by the sheet ll, sheet l8, sheet [9, sheet 20, and the side walls 9 defines a fireplace combustion chamber 22, within which solid fuel, such as wood or coal, may be burned, there being shown in the illustrated embodiment located within the fireplace combustion chamber 22 and adapted for the burning of coal a grate 23,

Above the plate I9 and portions of the plate IS a heating casing 24 is provided, this casing having a front service door 25 for access thereto. The rear edge of this casing joins the upper edge of sheet l6, and the sheet l9tforms in reality the bottom of this casing. The two sheets l5 and I! together with sheets l6 and I8 define a passage 26 at the rear of the fireplace combustion chamber 22, which passage. communicates with the rear portion of the casing 24, and a central thimble 2'I,'connected to the two plates I6 and 18, forms a passage leading from the fireplace combustion chamber 22 upwardly to a flue chamber 28 which surrounds the casing 24 at the front and rear thereof and communicates with the chimney l4.

Cold air ducts 29 extending upwardly around the inner portions of the side walls 9 also communicate with the lower portion of the heatin casing 24, and these ducts may be carried out to the walls or partitions 8 of the house, where they are equipped with registers 30 for receiving the cold air in the house. The casing 24 has a branched warm air trunk 3! connected to the upper portion thereof, and the branches or ducts from trunk 3| may be carried to any desired point in the house to deliver warm air through registers 32. In the case ofthe structure shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,- the ducts from trunk 3| are shown as extending through the front wall I I and rear wall ID to deliver warm air directly therefrom. In the case of the structure shown in Fig.

i 5, these ducts are connected with extensions equipped with a gas burner 34 towhich gas and 2 air: in the properly mixed proportions are supplied by 'a Bunsen burner tube 35, gas being conductedto the Bunsenburner tube by means of a gas line 36. While the heaterAmay take various forms, in the illustrated. embodiment it includes a central chamber. 31 within which the burner. 34 is located, and extending laterally fromthe upper portions of the chamber 31 are tortuous radiators 38 through which theflue gases may travel, there being aspreader plate 39 of stretched-out M-shape preferably located above the burner 34in the chamber 31 and tending. to direct the flue gases into the tortuous radiators 38. The radiators 38 at their outer and lower ends deliver into a rear manifoldAfi located within the casing 24, and this manifold 40inturn connects with a smoke pipe 4| running through the rear portion of thecasing 24-and delivering into the flue chamber 28.

In utilizing the device to supply heat to the house, it is possible to build a fire inth fireplace proper 22 by utilizing either'wood or coal, and it is also possible at the same time to place theburner 34 in-operation, or if desired; when mild weather is encountered, the burner 34 alone heated and, this air will move on upwardly through the casing 24 where, if the burner 34 is in operation, additional heat may be supplied to 3 the air. The warm air will be delivered through the trunk 3| and the ducts. branching: off therefrom to exhaust from-the .registers 32'. The cold air registers 30. will draw the cold air from the I floor of the room adjacent the side wallsof'the room to deliver to the ducts 29; If-the fan 33 is placed in operation, a forced circulation will be created. I

If a fire is not lit in the fireplace combustion chamber 22 but the burner 34 is in operation, the air passing through the casing 24 will be heated merely by the heating plant A to supply the heating requirements of the house. The long travel of the flue gases through the central chamber 31, the radiators 38, and the manifold 40 will cause the heating plant to work with great efficiency to supply heat to the surrounding air in the casing 24 when the burner 34 is in operation.

It will be seen that at one time the device of the invention supplies the needs of a small house for both a fireplace and a central heating plant. The whole device takes up no more space in the house than does an ordinary fireplace and does not exceed greatly the expense of an ordinary fireplaceto build'and install. The device is intended primarily for use in small homes running up to six to eight rooms and it is particularly adaptable to milder climates in this country where the expense of an ordinary heating furnace is notwarranted and yet where heating is required from time to time.

It. should be noted that the heating casing 24 extends way across between the two fireplace side walls 9, while the warm air trunk 3| is spaced inwardly from the said side walls. As the fireplace. combustion chamber communicates with the. back part of the flue chamberv 28. through the thimble 21 below the heating casing 24, ashes andsoot do not readily accumulate in the fore part of the flue chamber 28.forward of heating casing 24.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement, and proportions of the various parts without departing fromthe scope of the present invention which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and described and set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1.- Afireplace comprising a fireplace having a heater combustion chamber within which solid fuel may be burned, a flue chamber above said fireplace combustion Y chamber and communicatingwith the same, a heating chamber disposed withinsaid flue chamber and having its front and rear walls respectively spaced from the front and rear walls of said flue chamber, a fluid fuel operated heater within said heating chamber, cold air conduits leading into said heating chamber, warm air heat delivery conduits running fromsaid heating chamber, and a flue with which said flue chamber communicates.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and an auxiliary heat exchange chamber at the rear of the fireplace combustion chamber in communication with the lower part of said first mentioned heating chamber.

3. The structure defined in claim 1, said cold air conduits having portions thereof extending through said fireplace combustion chamber.

4'. A fireplace comprising a fireplace having a heater combustion chamber within which solid fuel may be burned, a flue chamber above said fireplace combustionchamber, the rear portion of which flue chamber communicates with said fireplace combustion chamber, a heating chamber disposedwithin said flue, chamber and extending across the same forward of the point where said'fire-place comlbustion chamber communicates with'said flue chamber the front Wall of said heating chamber-being spaced rearwardly from the front wall of said flue chamber and the rear wall of said heating chamber being spaced forwardly from the rear Wall of said flue chamber, a fluid fuel operated heater within said heating chamber, cold air conduits leading into said heating chamber, warm air heat delivery conduits running from said heating chamber, and a flue with which said flue chamber communicates.

KENNETH H. I-IERMANSON.

REFERENCES CKTED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Certificate of Correction Patent N 0. 2,484,292 October 11,1949 KENNETH H. HERMAN SON It is hereby certified that errors appear in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 4, lines 44 and 65, strike out the Word heater; same column, lines 43 and 64, after fireplace first occurrence, insert heater;

the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of February, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Gammz'ssz'oner of Patents. 

